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OCD/anxiety medication

Just curious if anyone's dog has been prescribed medication by their vet for OCD or anxiety. I have posted about Sonny's OCD in the past. He is insane when it comes to lights and shadows. He goes into a zone and just becomes fixated on them and chases them. He does it inside and outside. We have tried SEVERAL behavioral techniques, but nothing has really helped. It is impossible to eliminate lights and shadows from his life even though we have tried. My concern is that when he zones out and gets fixated on lights, shadows, ect he does NOT listen at all. It is like he can't even hear us. I am taking him to the vet soon, to get their opinion, but I was just curious if anyone has had their dog on any type of medication for OCD. Thanks!

My Mom has a dog on prozac, but she has agression issues. HOWEVER, she is a rescue who came to live with my parents at 4 months of age, her feet are deformed from spend too much time in a wire bottom crate AND she has several cigerette burns in her back. She was clearly abused. My Mom took her because even the rescue could NOT find a foster for her (she was attacking other dogs, people etc) At the time my parents had no other dogs and only my teenage youngest sister in the house so Mom figured what the heck I will try.

My Mom worked really hard but she got Addie to a point where she liked her, or would bite her. Addie began to enjoy being a loved pup however, she became VERY protective of my Mom. She bite my sister for walking up to my Mom. At that point my Mom started looking for a trainer to help them out (private training in the house) She found a great lady who was able to help Mom and Addie learn she basic doggie manners/commands but the guarding behavior continued. My Mom would crate Addie when she couldn't spend one on one time with her. Which was NOT the answer so the trainer told her to talk to the vet. The vet did some evaluation (something about Tuffs University??? I don't remember) and that's when they decided to try the prozac. It was like magic suddenly Addie would hear and listen to commands when other people (she knows-she still hates strangers) were around. Her training made progress 10 fold. she was on the prozac for about 3 or 4 years, after that Mom took her off and she has been fine. Addie now lives with 3 other dogs, 6 of my parents grandchildren running around and the rest of the family coming and going. She's a sweet dog.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

Thanks Melissa for the feedback. I am interested to see what our vet says about Sonny. Sonny also has guarding issues, but we have been working with him on that especially since we are concerned about the guarding with a baby on the way.

But I just don't know how to work with on the OCD stuff... hopefully the vet will have some ideas.

I had a foster dog like that, he would fixate on shadows. The kids thought it was funny and liked to make him chase their shadows, but really, you couldn't enjoy him like a real dog. We found a lovely family for him that took him everywhere and he seemed to adjust very well to an active lifestyle. Sadly he developed cancer and died a year after the adoption.

Some neurologists, including Dr. Clare Rusbridge, view fly-catcher's syndrome as possibly an OCD. In such cases, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as clomipramine or fluxetine, may be prescribed.

Dr. Clare Rusbridge and veterinary behaviorists Jon Bowen and Sarah Heath have been conducting a study of fly catching, tail chasing, shadow watching, and other compulsive disorders to determine better management strategies. If you have a dog with a repetitive behavior disorder and able to fill out a questionnaire or provide urine or saliva samples, contact Dr. Rusbridge at email CRusbridge@goddardvetgroup.co.uk

Personally I think the prozac for my Mom's dog Addie's saved her life....if my Mom hadn't be able to get her behavior under control I'm pretty sure nobody else could and she would have been put down. Oh and by the way she's a Dachshund, we call her physio-weasle but she doesn't mind.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras